Mr. Chairperson,

On 21 April 2019 the second round of the regular election of the President of Ukraine took place in my country.

We note with great satisfaction that Ukraine has succeeded in organizing free and democratic election in compliance with the national legislation and international standards despite the grave challenges of ongoing Russian aggression against my country, Russia’s illegal occupation of parts of Ukraine’s territory, continuous attacks of the Russian armed formations in Donbas. Ukraine has again demonstrated its full commitment to democracy and the rule of law as the basis for further development of the country as well as freedom and prosperity of the Ukrainian people.

According to the preliminary findings and conclusions of the OSCE/ODIHR-led International Election Observation Mission (IEOM), “the 2019 presidential election in Ukraine was competitive and held with respect for fundamental freedoms”.

The President of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly Mr. George Tsereteli, who acted as Special Co-ordinator and leader of the short-term OSCE observer mission, named the democratic and orderly transfer of power in Ukraine through this election as “a great achievement by the Ukrainian people” that “paves the way for renewed efforts to advance necessary reforms to address burning issues and provide good governance”. Notably, after the exit poll results were announced shortly after the closure of polling stations on the day of the second round of election, the incumbent President conceded his defeat, congratulated the winning candidate and assured him of readiness to extend the necessary support and assistance.

The IEOM emphasized that “the runoff was well-organized, despite operational challenges and a limited timeframe”. It also noted that “election day was assessed positively, and, despite a few procedural problems, there was a marked improvement in the conduct of the vote count and tabulation compared to the first round”.

The Ukrainian authorities will carefully study the preliminary findings and conclusions as well as the final report of IEOM and will continue to aim at fostering democratic electoral procedures and practices.

Ukraine highly appreciates the role of the large-scale international observation missions, including from the OSCE/ODIHR and the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly. 

Mr. Chairperson,

Both the second phase of election campaign and the election day proceeded peacefully. The voters turn-out was registered at 62,1%. The voters from the Autonomous Republic of Crimea, the city of Sevastopol and certain areas of Donetsk and Luhansk regions, where the election was not held due to temporary occupation by the Russian Federation, could implement their constitutional right at any polling station on the territory under the control of the Government of Ukraine.

On 30 April 2019 the Central Election Commission of Ukraine declared the official results of this presidential election. Volodymyr Zelenskyi has been elected President of Ukraine gaining support of 73.22% of votes.

The inauguration of the newly elected President of Ukraine will take place within 30 days after the official election results have been declared by the Central Election Commission.

Distinguished colleagues,

As recognized by the international community, the 2019 presidential election in Ukraine was conducted in a free, fair and transparent manner in accordance with the OSCE commitments and international standards. The Ukrainian authorities have been making dedicated efforts to make it possible.

The successful conduct of this election has become a crucially important step for strengthening confidence in democratic processes, ensuring political and economic stability as well as further progress of reforms in Ukraine.

We highly appreciate the already expressed readiness of the EU and numerous OSCE participating States to engage immediately with the newly elected President of Ukraine and look forward to intensive interaction.

Thank you, Mr. Chairperson.